April/May 2019: Seven Kinds of Crazy

The photos are gorgeous! So glad you survived the crowds -- I remember reading that Monday was crazy. (Oh, those Mondays!) When your Spring Break aligns with AP blockouts, promo ticket blockouts, CM sign in blockouts, Coachella, and maybe a spell of cooler/wet weather, go for it!
:rotfl2: It really is a "when the stars align thing," isn't it? :) I was just sooo grateful for good weather. I can do crowds, and I can do heat, but I have a hard time with the combination. Which is why I rarely visit in summer! :)

Welcome back! Sorry to hear about the crowds, but glad that you were able to have a great time anyway. From our recent experience, agree with you that crowds were smaller during actual Spring Break. I look forward to hearing/seeing more about your trip.

Thanks! It was a really good time! I was just so glad that I was (over)prepared and that we were still able to navigate and do a lot. Bless MaxPass!
 
I was surprised by how busy the first couple of days were as well! But like you I feel like being prepared and having a plan really helped us out! I'm trying to decide if I want to try my hand at a trip report.
 
I was surprised by how busy the first couple of days were as well! But like you I feel like being prepared and having a plan really helped us out! I'm trying to decide if I want to try my hand at a trip report.
The answer is always yes!! Even if it's just a few paragraphs and pictures about each day!
 
Those pictures are great! So glad you guys got good weather. Weird about the crowds - sounds just as bad as our Monday. Definitely makes Max Pass worthwhile.

And oh my about 5 kids just being a lot of kids. This is so true! I dearly love having my whole family with me but it is hard to get everyone feeling good, in a good mood, and wanting to do the same thing (or even just TWO things) at the same time. Having a rest day did seem to make things go a little better during our trip, and spreading things out helped too, but our rental house was farther from the entrance that as comfortable. If I had to do it again, and pick either a rental at the edge of walking distance or a shorter stay closer, I would probably stick with the longer stay, just because so many things can go wrong on a short trip and it is harder to recover, versus a longer trip with more chances for fireworks and character meets and nighttime RSR (still haven't cross that one off my list).

I can't wait to hear more about your trip, and to learn more as I start planning our next trip! And I do mean to finish the trip report - just busy and I get the blues missing Disney so much. At this rate, I'll have it done at the same time as my next PTR (for 2022 LOL).
 


Welcome back :) Love love LOVE all of the pics you shared so far! I’m a big fan of the matching & coordinated sibling looks! Can’t wait to hear more details & see more pics!
 
Those pictures are great! So glad you guys got good weather. Weird about the crowds - sounds just as bad as our Monday. Definitely makes Max Pass worthwhile.

And oh my about 5 kids just being a lot of kids. This is so true! I dearly love having my whole family with me but it is hard to get everyone feeling good, in a good mood, and wanting to do the same thing (or even just TWO things) at the same time. Having a rest day did seem to make things go a little better during our trip, and spreading things out helped too, but our rental house was farther from the entrance that as comfortable. If I had to do it again, and pick either a rental at the edge of walking distance or a shorter stay closer, I would probably stick with the longer stay, just because so many things can go wrong on a short trip and it is harder to recover, versus a longer trip with more chances for fireworks and character meets and nighttime RSR (still haven't cross that one off my list).

I can't wait to hear more about your trip, and to learn more as I start planning our next trip! And I do mean to finish the trip report - just busy and I get the blues missing Disney so much. At this rate, I'll have it done at the same time as my next PTR (for 2022 LOL).
It is so hard to find time to pull things together! I have been struggling, not because I'm missing Disney so much, but because I'm consumed with the house hunting thing (It's such a pain, and I get so attached to different parts of all the different houses we're seeing, and then anything we make an offer on I get so anxious until we hear back. It's a more intense ride than the Incredicoaster, haha.) Also, end-of-the-year concerts and events are a little crazy right now. School is out for us before the last week of May. I was worried that your rental would be too far for comfort! Our hotel was a little far, since we ended up walking over every morning...

Welcome back :) Love love LOVE all of the pics you shared so far! I’m a big fan of the matching & coordinated sibling looks! Can’t wait to hear more details & see more pics!
Thanks! I was so happy how they turned out, and that we got more family pictures this time. I was just disappointed that we didn't get a few more in the yellow shirts, and especially a Photopass, since they looked so bright and cute, but I'll take what I can get.
 
I have been trying so hard to get this trip report going! It has been non-stop crazy since we got back. I feel like I've talked to/spent more time with my listing agent than my husband since we got back, haha. He's been slammed at work trying to catch up all the people that would have otherwise been dispersed during the last week he was out of town, and we've/I've looked at like 15 houses in the last week. Plus all the end-of-the-year activities, and I haven't had a lot of time to breathe. But I'm going to jump in anyway and at least get started, since it will take lots of posts to get all these pictures in, haha.

The Saturday before we left was a little insane. I worked in my husband's office, packed like a crazy person, and at the last minute, went to Wicked (at Gammage at ASU) with my cousins and my aunt that I never get to hang out with, because they had an extra ticket. Normally that would have been completely awesome, but it felt a little expensive since DH and I had actually seen it earlier in the week for our anniversary that's this month. AND there was the whole trying-to-leave-around-7-the-next-morning thing. I'm not sure what I was thinking. The amount of sleep I got that week was a little silly. I feel like I'm still trying to catch up. But it was amazing, of course, and we had totally different seats than earlier in the week, and I loved spending some time with my family. (One cousin was also one of my very best friends growing up)
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So after getting home about 11 PM from that and finishing up a few last-minute things, I got to sleep, but was wide awake by 5:45 the next morning. You know, the excitement of it all. It takes TIME to get 7 people loaded in the car and out of the house, and I was actually kind of impressed that we were on the road by 7:50 instead of 7:30. Could have been much worse! The kiddos were excited!
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Our trip was fairly smooth, and we didn't run into any accidents or intense slow downs, so that was huge plus! The last two trips we've run into 1-2 hour delays and creeping traffic in random places even though it wasn't rush hour. Still, by hour 6, I was feeling kind of like this:
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I did use the time to finish sewing these cute iron-on patches I did on DS5's only light-ish colored jeans that had ripped out knees. I really like how they turned out! It's a good thing I had time to kill, though. All that hand stitching took forever. We grabbed lunch at a Chipotle along the way, which is a go-to for us with DH's food allergies. You guys, it's a little insane doing anything with 5 kids in tow, even just eating lunch.
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It wasn't quite as green as it looked in @whoever 's trip report a few weeks ago, but still pretty. We stopped at my friend's house in Anaheim (just off the 91, south of Yorba Linda) and visited with them for about an hour. I got to hold her squishy 6-month-old, and the kids got to get some energy out! It's always great to see her.
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After that we were headed for a quick visit to the beach! We drove down to Hungtington, and parking was pretty full on a late Sunday afternoon, but we found a prime spot. We arrived about 3:30, but it was cold and breezy. Like chilly in our shorts and t-shirts. We didn't think the kids would end up getting in much, and we didn't want to be there late, so we just went down to walk on the beach. Ha. Ha ha ha. When will I learn that the waves are way too interesting for my kids to stay out of them? Within a few minutes they all had damp knees, and soon after that, DS5 face planted in the water. So I trekked back up to the car with the three older kids to get their swim suits on, and brought DD2's down with me. And sunscreen. Putting sunscreen on wet skin while already down in the sand is never a good idea....
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We only played at the beach for about an hour after that, partially because we wanted to make an early evening of it, and partly because DD2 was shivering but wouldn't stay out of the water. They had such a great time. If you ask me, if was worth all the chaos and all the sand that ended up in our car. If you asked DH (who is not a get-in-the-water-at-the-beach type) you would get a different story.
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After that we made it to our motel, the Cortona Inn & Suites. We liked it. I was surprised, because I assumed the king room was in the back of the set, but it was definitely the front room. Which meant that my plan of having DD2 sleep in on the floor in our room wasn't going to work well. So we decided to try all 5 kids in one room... :-o While I showered 5 kids, DH ran out for some groceries at Target, and some easy food for the rest of us at Jack in the Box. Thankfully this Jack in the Box was better than the one by our house, because the last time I tried it, it was gross. My salad was great, and everyone got full. Going to sleep was another story, and we eventually had to go down and ask for a portable crib to contain DD2, who was not tired enough to hold still and go to sleep. After that she was out pretty fast. We decided not to pull out the couch, because it barred easy exit to the bathroom, and just put DD11 on the couch, DS5 on the floor in his Artoo sleeping bag (he was out pretty fast), and DD8/DS12 on the bunk beds. We had the kids rotate beds at night, so no one had to sleep on the couch every night.
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I stayed up for quite a while trying to get all our bags ready. The next day was DISNEY!!

 


Yay!!! You started! I've been looking forward to your report. :cool1:

I did use the time to finish sewing these cute iron-on patches I did on DS5's only light-ish colored jeans that had ripped out knees.
Oh. My. Goodness! I LOVE those patches! You did an amazing job! I always seem to bring a little last minute project on vacations, too. My husband laughs at me when I paint my toenails on the road. But hey, when else does a Mama have time?

DS5 face planted in the water
Your little beach adventure was amusing. I'm glad you had a good time.
That photo of you and your husband is a keeper!

If you asked DH (who is not a get-in-the-water-at-the-beach type) you would get a different story.
LOL!!

Can't wait for more!
 
Both Monday and Tuesday were that way. (With 150 min waits at times for Guardians and RSR on Monday)

We were there on Tues in DCA and it felt like we waited in so many lines but none that were that long thankfully :scared:

Being very prepared, using MaxPass, and some mostly-beautiful weather made a difference, and we mostly enjoyed ourselves, but the crowds were a little daunting at times.

The crowds were definitely bigger than I thought they would be for that week, but we also got just about everything we wanted to do done.

I worked in my husband's office, packed like a crazy person, and at the last minute, went to Wicked (at Gammage at ASU) with my cousins and my aunt that I never get to hang out with, because they had an extra ticket.

Ooo I love Wicked! I see it every time it comes around.

The amount of sleep I got that week was a little silly. I feel like I'm still trying to catch up.

I feel like I just caught up on my sleep today :laughing:

If you asked DH (who is not a get-in-the-water-at-the-beach type) you would get a different story.

I'm the same way :rotfl:
 
Yay!!! You started! I've been looking forward to your report. :cool1:


Oh. My. Goodness! I LOVE those patches! You did an amazing job! I always seem to bring a little last minute project on vacations, too. My husband laughs at me when I paint my toenails on the road. But hey, when else does a Mama have time?
Right? There's no time for that, and the little legs are way too skinny to be able to use a sewing machine. The patches say "iron on," but everyone knows those don't last more than a day, tops.


We were there on Tues in DCA and it felt like we waited in so many lines but none that were that long thankfully :scared:

The crowds were definitely bigger than I thought they would be for that week, but we also got just about everything we wanted to do done.

Ooo I love Wicked! I see it every time it comes around.

I feel like I just caught up on my sleep today :laughing:
I think we had the same experience. Just so many more people that I was expecting in that particular week. I'm sure they mostly felt the same way about us, haha!
 
Monday morning I woke up about 5:45 again, so I decided to sneak a shower in. I should have made it a little shorter though, because it was HARD getting everyone dressed and ready and all the bags figured out and getting everyone fed and "on the road" for our 20 minute walk to the gate. I was fine doing the Uber thing or having them catch the bus over (I felt like they were already running earlier than 8 AM...) but DH thought it would be best for everyone to walk. We only did one stroller the first day, so that was a long walk for DS5, but since it was first thing in the day, he did fairly well, and we let him ride in the stroller sometimes during the day when DD2 wanted to walk. (Which was a lot) They were all pretty excited though, so off we went!
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Security wasn't bad that early. We were at that point about 8:05 am for a 9 AM opening at California Adventure. The lines were already quite long. :P It really takes the wind out of my sails to not be close to the front of the entry lines! But we didn't have too long to wait. 25-ish minutes.
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But then. Then. It started raining as we were walking through the turnstiles. Like not just drizzling. Good decent rain. The night before the forecast hadn't said there was any chance of rain. What to do?? We ducked into a store for a few minutes, (I had already grabbed a Toy Story Midway Mania fastpass on Maxpass) because I know California rain can be like AZ rain much of the time, and just rain for 5 minutes and be done. (Florida was an unpleasant awakening when I visited as a teen, and we ducked out of the rain to "wait it out" and an hour later there was no sign of it letting up!) But it didn't stop this time. So we were trying to get electronics covered up, pulled out all the "water rides" ponchos, and got those covered that cared. And stood, waiting for rope drop with a bunch of other quite damp people. It was a little miserable, and there was some crying and some whining. (Not all me, haha) These were the shirts I was most excited to get some family pictures with, and I was imagining everyone looking kind of bedraggled in them. But I was at DLR, so I was hopeful that things would turn around.
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We moved as quickly as we could under the circumstances towards Toy Story, noticing as we went by that the Incredicoaster wasn't running. Hopefully just because of the rain? The standby line for TSMM said 10 minutes, so we made the (good) choice of riding it standby first, and then using our Maxpass. It wasn't quite read to go anyway. I knew we'd want to ride that one at least twice, because my boys, especially, enjoy the interactive rides, and I knew our best chances of that happening were first thing. Everyone enjoyed the ride, even DD2. Her first ride at Disney! (Well, since she was 4 months old.) I'm glad she liked it, because we were able to use our fastpass to ride it again immediately, and the standby had already shot up to 50 minutes (I'm guessing more like 35) at 9:30 AM.
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After that we rode Jessie's Critter Carousel, which was having mechanical problems that morning. It was closed after our first Toy Story ride, but open after our second, and closed again soon after we got off! DD2 chose the skunk to ride, which I thought was appropriate. She's such a little stinker sometimes! :rotfl2:
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After we had a bathroom break, we decided to meet Mrs. Incredible/Elastigirl, who had a short line, and while in line, I grabbed one of our must-treats, and Jack Jack Num Num cookie! It was perfect for sharing 6 ways. Everyone got 2-3 bites and got to enjoy it.
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The rain had stopped during our first ride on TSMM, and we had left a poncho over the stroller, so things were beginning to be dry after a couple hours. :) The weather was just beautiful the rest of the day! It made the crowds much more bearable. DD2 loved walking whenever we would let her (ie. any times the crowds weren't too close, and we could keep our eyes on her. She's not a big fan of hand-holding either.)
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Our next fastpass was for Guardians, I think? So we headed that direction. This was going to be DS5's first thrill ride, and he was pretty excited. Sadly, he was not a fan, and declined to ride it again. We had gotten a rider switch, and DD2 and I were in the longest line ever to see Anna and Olaf (they let the line know several times that Elsa wasn't there that day). I know there were screens to watch during most of it, but it was a seriously long line to meet characters. (for me, anyway)
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When we were almost to the front of the outside line, DH, DD11 and DS5 traded me places in the line to wait with her, and I took DS12 and DD8 with me on Guardians for a second time. Super fun ride (my only one of the trip) and we got Hit Me With Your Best Shot, which is probably my favorite song on that ride that I've experienced.
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When we got off, they were just barely meeting Anna and Olaf. So we rode Guardians twice while they waited in that one line. I think it went well. DD11 took video for me, I just haven't had a chance to watch it yet!
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I'm glad the rain let up and you guys could show off those cool matching shirts!

I always try to go to the park that isn't doing early entry. It may not make a difference, but in my head I always believe it will.

I would love to meet Mrs Incredible!
 
Love the R2 sleeping bag!

I'm a bit jealous of your house hunting, even if it is a pain. I'm so ready to leave apartments behind and get a house.

How was the cookie num num? I've been wanting to try one but keep forgetting to get one when I'm there. Not sure if I could share that thing, so kudos to the kids.

I have no idea why but I'm a bit obsessed with Olaf's feet. They're just the cutest.
 
Following along!

I'm seeing Wicked next month, SUPER excited :D

And OMG, your kids are stinking cute. I hope to be a crafty mama like you someday, your outfits all turned out so good!!!
 
I'm glad the rain let up and you guys could show off those cool matching shirts!

I always try to go to the park that isn't doing early entry. It may not make a difference, but in my head I always believe it will.

I would love to meet Mrs Incredible!

I usually try for that too, but we wanted to use our early entry this time, and with the Avengers Assemble event, it made sense at the time... Next time, who knows? I'm so interested but anxious to see what happens with the crowds with SWGE and the new Flex Pass. :-/

Love the R2 sleeping bag!

I'm a bit jealous of your house hunting, even if it is a pain. I'm so ready to leave apartments behind and get a house.

How was the cookie num num? I've been wanting to try one but keep forgetting to get one when I'm there. Not sure if I could share that thing, so kudos to the kids.

I have no idea why but I'm a bit obsessed with Olaf's feet. They're just the cutest.

I know, I should just be excited, but it's the most stressful thing we've done in a long time. It's not like it's the biggest purchase EVER, which will affect every detail of our life and our kids' lives for the next 20 years... And we're self-employed, so we don't actually know what our income is going to be month-to-month. There's some faith involved. And a lot of budgeting, which we're only so-so at, haha.

Following along!

I'm seeing Wicked next month, SUPER excited :D

And OMG, your kids are stinking cute. I hope to be a crafty mama like you someday, your outfits all turned out so good!!!

Wicked is so awesome, I'm excited for you!! And thanks. Actually, Disney trips are the only thing (pretty much) that brings out my crafty side. It's a little weird, actually. :)
 
I usually try for that too, but we wanted to use our early entry this time, and with the Avengers Assemble event, it made sense at the time
Ahh, totally makes sense! I probably would have done the same.

I'm so interested but anxious to see what happens with the crowds with SWGE and the new Flex Pass. :-/
Me too. Can't wait to see how everything plays out this summer and fall.

And we're self-employed, so we don't actually know what our income is going to be month-to-month. There's some faith involved.
My husband and I just joined the self-employed gang last fall. It's exciting, and freeing, but also nerve-wracking!
 
My husband and I just joined the self-employed gang last fall. It's exciting, and freeing, but also nerve-wracking!

It really is. It's been about 5 years now, and things are getting better, but it's been a trip for sure. Especially with 3 kids then 4 then 5, haha.
 
I have been reading your reports for a while now and figured I’d finally come out of lurking and say hi:wave:. I love reading about your trips, and have to say I am a little jealous of all your finds at the Disney Outlet :stitch2:. I’m also in the Phoenix area and feel like I never find anything good in there.

Also wanted to throw in a good luck on the house! We bought a house right before our most recent trip to DL trip this April and it was definitely stressful but it did feel good coming back to our house after vacation.
 
Can't wait to hear more!

Sorry you dealt with such lousy crowds. It's weird -- we were there before you (April 10 - 14) and the crowds were fairly light. I thought it would have been the other way around. Just goes to show you that you can never predict these types of things with DLR!
 
I have been reading your reports for a while now and figured I’d finally come out of lurking and say hi:wave:. I love reading about your trips, and have to say I am a little jealous of all your finds at the Disney Outlet :stitch2:. I’m also in the Phoenix area and feel like I never find anything good in there.

Also wanted to throw in a good luck on the house! We bought a house right before our most recent trip to DL trip this April and it was definitely stressful but it did feel good coming back to our house after vacation.

Thanks for saying hi!! It's always nice to know people are reading, and it's motivating to try to keep posting! I'm going to get another installment up this morning hopefully! It's a little hit and miss at the outlet. Sometimes I visit and find nothing that's worth the price to me, and sometimes I'm wishing I had been saving up some extra cash!

Can't wait to hear more!

Sorry you dealt with such lousy crowds. It's weird -- we were there before you (April 10 - 14) and the crowds were fairly light. I thought it would have been the other way around. Just goes to show you that you can never predict these types of things with DLR!

You really can't! Thankfully we were prepared, had MaxPass, and the weather was gorgeous. It was still a great trip, just a little overwhelming at moments.
 

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